Bay Island Bulkhead Repair and Bridge Replacement
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
ENVIRONMENTAL CHECKLIST FORM 1. Project Title: Bay Island Bulkhead Repair and Bridge Replacement 2. Lead Agency Name and Address: City of Newport Beach, Public Works Department 3300 Newport Boulevard Newport Beach, CA 92685-8915 3. Contact Person and Telephone Number: Jim Campbell, 949-644-3210 4. Project Location: Bay Island, Newport Harbor 5. Project Sponsor’s Name and Address: Bay Island Club, Inc., 25 Bay Island Newport Beach, CA 92661 6. General Plan Designation: Medium Density Residential A (8.1-13.3 DU/AC) / Open Space 7. Zoning: Multi-family Residential District (MFR) / Planned Residential Development (PRD) 8. Description of Project: Bay Island is a private residential community in Lower Newport Bay in Newport Beach, California (Figure 1). There are 23 single-family homes on the island. The island is connected to Balboa Peninsula via a gated pedestrian bridge at the end of Island Avenue. Residents typically use golf carts on the island because motor vehicles are prohibited. A 48-space parking structure, located at 501 West Bay Avenue, is provided for residents off of the island. The proposed project includes two main components – bulkhead wall repair and bridge replacement. A third project component is installation of a small submerged sand retention wall for beach stabilization. 1. Bulkhead Repair 1a. Background The island is protected by bulkhead walls on the northern, western and southern sides, and by sandy beach on the eastern side. There is also a very small sandy beach along the western side, in between a break in the bulkhead wall. The bulkheads were constructed in the late 1920s. There are two types of bulkheads that currently exist around the island. Along the southern and northeastern edges, the bulkheads were constructed using steel sheetpiles with a concrete cap and tie backs to timber pile anchors. Along the western edge, the bulkhead was constructed using concrete soldier piles with tiebacks to timber pile anchors, and concrete panels between the soldier piles. The soldier piles and panels are topped with a concrete cap of the same cross-section as the steel sheetpile wall, creating a uniform look from the land side. The steel sheetpile bulkhead in the southeastern corner has begun to fail and needs to be replaced before it collapses and leaves the backland vulnerable to erosion and loss of foundation strength for structures. The concrete bulkheads also need to be repaired as they are experiencing cracking and spauling due to corrosion of the reinforced steel. The proposed approach involves two different approaches to repair/replace the entire perimeter of bulkhead wall and. In one section of the perimeter, the new bulkhead wall would be installed within or landward of the existing bulkhead’s footprint. For the other section of perimeter, the new bulkhead would be installed outside (seaward) of the existing bulkhead. Bay Isle Bulkhead Repair and Bridge Replacement Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration 1 Bay Island Figure 1 - Vicinity Map 1b. Design Description For the northern and northwestern perimeter of the island (shown by blue line on Figure BH-1), new sheetpiles would be constructed outside of the existing bulkhead wall cap as shown in Figures BH-2 and BH-3. An outside alignment is necessary along this section because there are homes and/or large mature trees very near, and in one case touching, the existing bulkhead wall. There is not sufficient room to install temporary sheetpile landward of the existing bulkhead to install the new bulkhead within the existing footprint. Construction would involve removing the old bulkhead cap, installing the new steel sheetpile bulkhead seaward of the existing bulkhead wall, and then installing a new cap over both the old and new piles. A new drain system would be installed on the landward side along the entire length of the bulkhead wall, as shown in Figures BH-2, BH-3 and BH-4. The drainage system includes one-way Tideflex valves that allow discharge of dry weather and storm runoff into the bay, but prevent saltwater intrusion. At each of the runoff discharge outlets, a basket-type filtration unit would prevent debris from being discharged into the bay. For the southern and southwestern edges (shown by green line on Figure BH-1), the construction approach would be to remove the existing bulkhead and install new steel sheetpiles within or landward of the existing footprint as shown in Figure BH-4. A portion of this new bulkhead would be along a new alignment, landward of the existing bulkhead line in the southeastern corner of the island. This would create new subtidal habitat area to balance the subtidal area lost from the outside alignment bulkhead sections (discussed above), at a 4:1 mitigation ratio. Figure BH-1 shows this new alignment. Approximately 760 cubic yards of sand would be removed from this southeastern corner and placed above the high tide line on the beaches on the eastern and/or western side of Bay Island. Steel sheetpiles, rather than concrete, would be used for the new bulkheads in all areas. No coatings would be used on the sheetpiles. The bulkhead cap would be concrete. The elevation of the top of the concrete cap would be +9 feet MLLW, which brings the bulkhead wall into compliance with current standards for coastal flood protection. 1c. Construction Methods Construction of the bulkheads is primarily a water-based operation (i.e., construction work would be done from a floating barge). Staging also would be water-based, with the exception that there would probably be the need to store the steel sheetpiles on land. The most likely locations to store the sheetpiles are the small unpaved lot at the end of Island Avenue or the beach area on the east side of Bay Island. In order for the barge to obtain close access to the bulkhead area, docks (including landings) and boats would have to be detached and temporarily relocated elsewhere within the bay. For the southern and southwestern bulkheads, the new bulkhead would be installed in the same footprint (or landward) of the existing bulkhead. Trees and shrubs immediately adjacent to the bulkhead wall would need to be removed. Temporary shoring would be installed first. The steel sheetpiles to be used for the new northern bulkheads would be used for this temporary shoring in the southern section. The temporary steel sheetpiles would be installed 5-6 feet landward of the existing bulkhead wall. This would be done using a vibratory hammer based from a barge. A vibratory hammer is faster and quieter than an impact hammer. The area between the temporary shoring and existing wall would be excavated down to approximately the mudline and the material would be temporarily stockpiled. The existing concrete and steel sheetpile bulkheads would be demolished, removed, and disposed of properly. Silt curtains would be used to minimize any turbidity in the adjacent subtidal areas. The new sheetpile bulkhead would be installed in the same footprint as before, down approximately 23 feet into the ground using a vibratory hammer. The area in between the temporary shoring and new bulkhead wall would be backfilled with the same material that was previously removed. Just prior to completion of filling, the new drain system and new concrete cap would be installed. The temporary shoring would then be extracted using a vibratory hammer to be re-used as the new northern bulkhead. The docks would then be returned and re-attached to their original location. Bay Isle Bulkhead Repair and Bridge Replacement Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration 3 New bulkhead within or landward of existing bulkhead alignment New bulkhead outside of existing bulkhead alignment Sandy Beach Area to be Removed To Create New Subtidal Area (3,100 sq. ft) Prepared by: Moffatt & Nichol April 14, 2006 P:/5762/Permits/City of Newport Beach Bay Island Figure Project Bulkhead Repair – Plan View BH-1 Scale: 1” = 4’ Typical Section A Prepared by: Moffatt & Nichol April 14, 2006 P:/5762/Permits/City of Newport Beach Bay Island Bulkhead Repair – Representative Cross Section Figure Project – Western Side of Island BH-2 Scale: 1” = 4’ Typical Section B Prepared by: Moffatt & Nichol April 14, 2006 P:/5762/Permits/City of Newport Beach Bay Island Bulkhead Repair – Representative Cross Section Figure Project – Northern Side of Island BH-3 Scale: 1” = 4’ Typical Section C Prepared by: Moffatt & Nichol April 14, 2006 P:/5762/Permits/City of Newport Beach Bay Island Bulkhead Repair – Representative Cross Section Figure Project – Southern Side of Island BH-4 The construction of the southeastern corner is similar to the southern and southwestern approach above. However, for this area, where private beach area is to be removed for mitigation purposes, the sand in between the new and existing wall would be excavated and placed on the beaches on the eastern and/or western side of Bay Island. The gangway to the existing dock in this area would need to be lengthened, which would occur after completion of the bulkhead work when the dock is returned from its temporary relocation. For the northern bulkheads, the new bulkhead would be installed seaward of the existing bulkhead (Figures BH-2 and BH-3). The concrete cap of the existing bulkhead would be used as a template. The new steel sheetpiles would be installed down approximately 23 feet into the ground, immediately adjacent to the existing cap, using a vibratory hammer. The existing concrete cap would then be removed and the gap in between the old and new bulkheads would be filled with gravel or lean concrete. Just prior to completion of filling, the new drain system would be installed and the new concrete cap would be constructed over the new and old sheetpiles.